Raymond Gregory is a young Contemporary Christian singer/songwriter from California. And while that may not seem to make him sound at all unique, Gregory's got a little something extra in my opinion. Gregory's music, while still primarily mainstream pop, has a bit of a Jazz texture running underneath. At times, in fact, his sound is more Smooth Jazz than pop. Gregory lists his influences as James Taylor, Eric Clapton and John Mayer, but I'm guessing he's listened to a Stanley Jordan record or two as well. Toss in a few "boy band" sensibilities here and there and what you end up with is a modern parallel of the old school vocalists of the 50s and 60s who combined the Jazz and MOR Pop stylings of their day. The best example of this on Raymond Gregory's new EP is likely "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", which layers all these elements in a very effective manner resulting in a rendition that sounds Top 40 friendly while standing apart thanks to the sparkling jazzy arrangement.

"Magnify" has its share of highlights, for a 5 song EP. The title track is straight ahead Christian Pop, and shines in large part because of Gregory's guitar playing. Gregory found the perfect singing partner for the nearly 7 minute medley of "O Holy Night" and "Holy Holy Holy". Amanda Guerrero not only compliments Gregory's vocal register, but ultimately outshines him on the track. I want to hear more from Amanda. The original song "Evelyn", the story of an abused and abandoned child growing into a cynical adult but ultimately finding salvation through God's mercy, could easily come across as preachy if not for Gregory's clear sincerity. "Magnify" closes with a sweet Smooth Jazz rendition of "The Christmas Song", all the more effective for being the lone secular tune on the project.

Overall, Gregory presents a nice little package, here, at once breezy and light but also deeply spiritual. That's a hard balance to strike, but Gregory manages it well. I suspect he has a bright future ahead.

REviews

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